Conor Brockbank
conorbrockbank.bsky.social
Conor Brockbank
@conorbrockbank.bsky.social
PhD History student @QUB. Research incl. the Irish Diaspora in Wales, England and Zimbabwe, transnational networks within the Irish Carmelites + female Catholic religious institutions. Previously at Aberystwyth University
It was great to be at the launch by @miriamocal.bsky.social of Childhood and the Irish: A Miscellany edited by @salvadorryan.bsky.social last week at @ria.ie! Thinking back on the childhoods of two of the crucial Carmelite figures within my PhD was fascinating and so rewarding.
December 8, 2025 at 8:07 PM
What a great way to end this semester’s @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar series tomorrow with @niamhcullen.bsky.social, chaired by @elainefarrell.bsky.social! Drinks and snacks provided as usual. For more information and to sign up to attend online see:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
December 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
In a change to the advertised schedule this week‘s @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar will be given by QUB’s very own @pfarrelly2025.bsky.social. Snacks & drinks will be provided as usual. For more information & to sign up to attend online, see the Eventbrite below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
November 25, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Looking forward to this week’s @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar by @kevinkosullivan.bsky.social, chaired by @kieranconnell.bsky.social! Snacks and drinks will be provided as usual. For more information and to sign up to attend online, see the link below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
November 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Another great seminar in the @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar series tomorrow from QUB’s own, Ni Yang. Wine, soft drinks and snacks provided as usual. All welcome! More information about the seminar in the link below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
November 13, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Childhood and the Irish: A Miscellany edited by @salvadorryan.bsky.social is available for pre-order. The collection explores a variety of experiences including my own article on the childhoods of two Irish Carmelite missionaries, who were brothers, in Co. Wicklow!

wordwellbooks.com/index.php?ro...
November 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Another fascinating @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar coming up later TODAY by Dr Lloyd Maphosa! Chaired by the great @emorier.bsky.social. Drinks and snacks provided. All welcome! More information and the sign up for attending online in the link below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
November 7, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Looking forward to this week’s @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar, co-ordinated with @publichistoryqub.bsky.social, with Dr Laura Aguiar (UU) speaking this week! Snacks and drinks provided as usual. For more information & to sign up online follow the link below below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
October 22, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Boy, am I looking forward to giving this paper this Friday as part of the @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar series. This series has a great supportive culture for those presenting. Online signup and more information about the seminar is available via this link:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
October 13, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Looking forward to this week’s @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar this Friday from QUB’s @jamielukas.bsky.social. Do note the room change for this week only. Honoured to be asked to chair the seminar this week. More details & sign up to join online via link below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
October 7, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Looking forward to another great @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar tomorrow by Xiaowan He exploring the impact of Western missionaries on music in China during c19th. All welcome. Snacks & drinks provided. For the sign-up to join online & more information follow the link below:
bit.ly/4mJNu5a
October 2, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Finishing the 67th conference of @catholicrs.bsky.social strongly with the keynote by Gabriel Glickman (Cambridge) talking on “Catholics and the beginnings of the British Empire”.
July 16, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Great final panel before the last keynote of the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference, with @eilishgregory.bsky.social, @carmenmangion.bsky.social on global missions. More updates on this panel at a later date!
July 16, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Continuing the great papers at the @catholicrs.bsky.social on the panel before lunch on personalities and charism with Helen Knight (Durham), Jo Luyten (KU Leuven) & Aurelia Eburne (Durham)
July 16, 2025 at 10:59 AM
An amazing beginning panel to the final day of the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference with Jamie Blake Knox (independent scholar), Kirsten Schouwenaars-Harms (St Mary’s, Twickenham) & Ryan Burns (Jacksonville State) about survival & suppression in Scotland & Ireland
July 16, 2025 at 9:43 AM
A stimulating, well-engaged and interesting book launch and later discussion on @kristofsmeyers.bsky.social new book happened yesterday evening as part of the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference. Hosted with questions by Helen Kilburn (Notre Dame in London) & introduced by @paularblaster.bsky.social
July 16, 2025 at 6:32 AM
A great way to end the second day of the @catholicrs.bsky.social with a fascinating panel with Ben Halligan (Wolverhampton), Scholastica Jacob (St Antony’s Priory) & @jonchant.bsky.social on institutions & custodianship
July 15, 2025 at 5:10 PM
A great second keynote at the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference by Elizabeth Powell (Notre Dame in London) on David Jones and his artwork which was incredibly thought provoking. The exploration of his artwork and “flora” produced much discussion and questions.
July 15, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Another wide ranging panel of the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference with @alanford56.bsky.social, Patrick Maume (Royal Irish Academy) & @tiff-alice.bsky.social exploring leading figures such as Bury, MacSwinney & Chesterton among others.
July 15, 2025 at 11:32 AM
An engaging beginning to day two of the @catholicrs.bsky.social confernce. The first panel incl. Gerard Kilroy (Ignatium University in Kraków), Maria Rogińska (Pedagogical University of Kraków) & Helen Kilburn (Notre Dame in London) offered an interdisciplinary exploration of survival & suppression
July 15, 2025 at 9:42 AM
An amazing final panel with Adyan Sharda (St Andrews), @paularblaster.bsky.social and Lucia Luck (Durham) to end off the first day of the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference - the different angles each speaker approached translation and transmission was fascinating!
July 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Some great papers by @maddyphillipps.bsky.social, Esther Rollinson (Manchester) and Alejandro Sell Maestro (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) in the first panel of the day at the @catholicrs.bsky.social exploring different aspects of new and exciting work on Catholic women’s networks.
July 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM
A great keynote by @bamcshane.bsky.social to begin the @catholicrs.bsky.social conference. Loads of food for thought which clearly came through with the well-engaged with Q&A afterwards
July 14, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Looking forward to hearing the papers over the next few days at the @catholicrs.bsky.social 67th annual conference in beautiful surroundings nonetheless too! Already found an unexpected connection here with the statue of St Margaret Clitherow, previously made for the Carmelites at Hazelwood Castle!
July 14, 2025 at 9:02 AM
It was great to present PhD research on the imposition of borders in the twentieth century within religious transnational structures, who ordinarily were structurally & administratively borderless. Overall, this was a fascinating interdisciplinary conference between QUB & @ubcmigration.bsky.social!
June 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM